


i'll be your ears

by pagmamahal



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Artist Hinata Shouyou, Artist Yamaguchi Tadashi, Bisexual Yamaguchi Tadashi, Bullying, Deaf Character, Deaf Hinata, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hinata draws a lot, Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Pianist Kageyama Tobio, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Social Anxiety, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tsukishima plays the guitar, mute character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 12:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14285358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pagmamahal/pseuds/pagmamahal
Summary: Kageyama realizes that A.) Life can be beautiful without music, and Hinata was there to prove it. B.) Hinata can't hear his "You're so cute"s so he's the one who blushes after saying it. C.) Hinata doesn't need his hearing to know Kageyama's into him, maybe a little, maybe not at all.In which Kageyama, who grew up in the world of music, didn't sign up to fall for a deaf and mute boy, and yet he didn't mind, not one bit.





	1. Chapter 1

When everyone talks about childhood, toys come up as a topic. The rich kids liked their full set of Barbie dolls- some of them even has their own damn cars. Some of them had those flying helicopters with a controller that only gets stuck on someone else's roof or a tree, making the parents realized they just wasted a huge stash of money. Some kids liked things simple. From eating gummy worms and cheap ice cream from the convenience store. One thing for sure, it was fun being a kid, because life was full of toys and happy memories. That's why Kageyama Tobio was afraid he was growing up the wrong way.

Tobio grew up learning the piano. No toys, no playmates, no toy helicopters to waste, no convenience store ice creams either. Just one musical instrument was his companion while he continue to grow up. Maybe a few comic books, his phone full of Michael Bublé songs— _he loves Christmas_ , and learning them in the piano, and his personal notebook filled with stars. Stars are beautiful, and he loves beautiful things. 

Contrary to the last stated fact, he was born with a natural scowling face. It became his own defense to people he didn't want to talk to—but it has its own disadvantages. He studied alone, ate his lunch alone, celebrated his birthdays alone (with his parents), listened to Christmas songs alone, played video games alone, there was no memory of him doing things with a partner, nor with a group. The only time (from what he can remember) someone besides his parents, teachers or relatives talked to him was when he dropped his pen in fifth grade and his seatmate handed it to him, muttering a soft _"Here you go."_ , and when girls confess their admiration to him. After that, Tobio wasn't sure if he had a normal human contact, maybe he didn't care to notice. And you know what? He's completely fine with dealing things on his own, but sometimes things can get a little lonely.

Maybe that's why his parents were happy that he wanted to change schools on his first year of high school. It wasn't a big deal, not at all. Yet his parents thought it's a step towards change, to Kageyama and his loneliness. They wanted him to socialize little by little. May it be with one person, or a huge group of people, anything for their child to experience a bit of communication, and to get rid of his fear of socializing—or social anxiety. He was treated by his parents with care, given by the fact that he was their only child. He was precious to them, and they would sacrifice both their arms and legs for him to feel happiness.

"Do your best, okay? Don't forget to eat, to stay awake during class, make friends! It doesn't matter as long as you don't hang out with bad influences." His mother said, packing his lunch in a blue bag. He suddenly feels like he's 6 again being sent to his new kindergarten to learn about different yet the same fairy tales.

"Mom, I'm just entering a new school."

"A new school means new chances of danger, Tobio. Trust me, I've been there." His father chuckled after drinking his black coffee. 

Tobio cringed at the sight of coffee. _Milk is much, much better. Throw that thing away. Burn it. Flush it down the toilet._

"Here you go!" He accepted his lunch with a smile. Although it will make him look like the city's number 1 mama's boy, he would never refuse to eat his mom's cooking—it was the best, and he can't ask for more, and he will never exchange it to buy crappy school lunches that tastes like plastic.

"Good luck, and be careful! Don't turn down anyone who will confess to you!" His dad shouted as he made his way outside to the nearest train station.

"For God's sake, it's the first day of school. Why do they think I'll receive a love confession this early?" The black-haired boy muttered to himself while scrolling down on his phone to play the perfect music. _Ah, the Married Life, a piano piece that made him cry. Perfect._

_A love confession?_

He looked up to see the cloudless sky, still listening to the emotional song. In his 16 years of existence, he received a total of 3 love confessions. All of them, he rejected, ignored, and he swore he heard a shattering heart once he said "I'm sorry, I'm not finding someone right now".

It's not like he regretted rejecting them, it was the right choice, and it was true. He doesn't want to be with anyone that time. He was young and full of potential.

The cold air breeze kissed his cheeks as he sat down and waited for the train to arrive. He started tapping his lap with his fingers, dancing with the melody of the piano piece coming out from his earphones. It was a mannerism, he would sometimes tap his school desk without realizing. _A pianist thing?_ He thought to himself.

The train arrives, making him walk in instinct. Still not letting his mind stop from occupying the song little by little. Married Life. He can't help but think of his parents, or himself. The thought of him marrying someone sent shivers down his spine.

The said train runs, and so does his mind. He can't help but think about the new school year ahead of him.

Make friends. Talk. Socialize. Communicate. _It's alright, Tobio. You can do this._ But what if they think I'm weird? _No! They won't!_ But what if..

The pianist was too occupied to convince himself that he wasn't afraid to socialize—which is not working—to know that he arrived at his destination. It also took him to realize that someone, wearing the same uniform, was talking to him. 

_Talking to him..?_ Kageyama mentally prepared himself.

"H-Hey, you're going to Karasuno too, right? You're uh.. still seating there.. uhm.." The boy scratched his head, maybe a mannerism when he's nervous. "..you should be going out the train now.."

Tobio—speechless—stood up and bowed. Talk! Words! Use them! "Th.. Thank you."

Both Karasuno students walked out the train in sync. The smaller one was the first to talk. "Are you a first year?"

Kageyama can't believe it. Someone was actually taking their time to talk to him, when almost everyone at his previous school avoided him because of his scary face. He didn't forget to nod before saying, "Yes."

The latter started walking, Tobio following him silently. He widened his eyes when he heard the other one chuckle, "Why are you so formal! I'm a first year too." He looked back at Tobio and smiled, stopping from moving his feet.

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi. Nice meeting you!" Yamaguchi smiled again, scratching the back of his head. Maybe Tobio isn't the only one nervous.

"K-Kageyama.. Tobio.." He bowed in instinct, Yamaguchi releasing a small laugh. "Kageyama, let's go to school together from now on, yeah?"

_Going to school together? Isn't that what friends do? Yamaguchi.. a friend?_

"Are we friends?" Kageyama didn't mean it to sound rude, he was genuinely curious because he didn't want to jump into conclusions. Fortunately, Yamaguchi didn't took it in an offensive way. "I mean.. I don't mind being friends with you!"

It was his chance. To prove to himself that he, too, can communicate. _Don't blow it, Kageyama. Just accept the offer._

"Sure."

"Great!" Yamaguchi began walking again, and Kageyama released the breath he didn't know he was holding. He mentally cursed himself because he actually debated whether he should accept Yamaguchi as a friend or not.

The said boy was sure talkative, but he wasn't annoying. In fact, Kageyama didn't mind him rambling about how nervous he was for entering high school.

"Ah.. I really hope things would change." Yamaguchi released a heavy sigh. 

"Change? Why?" Kageyama softly muttered. The smaller boy looked down before talking to himself again. 

Just before passing the school gate, mixed smells of manly cologne and strong mint shampoo filled Kageyama's nostrils. He felt like someone bathed in Axe deodorant and decided to stand before him. He looked forward and saw at least four boys—fuckboys. _Yup, definitely fuckboys._ The pianist thought to himself. At least try to smell nice, but don't overdose yourself with cologne, they smell stinky from trying too hard to smell nice.

"Oi, look! Freckles brought another boyfriend. Is he your boyfriend, Yamaguchiiiiii?" One of them, the one who smelled like a combination of Axe and sweat the most, cooed as his friends laugh.

Kageyama tried to process the whole situation. One sure thing, he didn't know what the fuck to do.

The last time he encountered bullying was when his seatmate's desk was full of dirty names (and basically dirt, there was a chewing gum on top of that desk) when they went back from PE class; he wanted to comfort her, but he chose to keep quiet.

The thought of encountering something like it again never crossed his mind. So he just stood there, frozen.

Yamaguchi muttered a quiet but still audible "Stop." before trying to walk past them. However, they were taller than him, and there were four of them, making them look like the superior.

"Did I hear that right? Are you trying to act brave now?"

One of them shoved Yamaguchi down, making him fall on the ground. The students around started whispering, some of them shrugging it off, some of them ignoring it, no one even bothered to help.

Kageyama was mentally panicking. _Do I call for help? Do I run? But he's my friend.. right._

A friend.

Just when he was about to talk after breathing heavily for at least a minute, someone did the talking first before him.

"Lame."

A tall—like really fucking tall—blonde student in glasses said with a mocking look on his face. He was chuckling, and Kageyama swore he never saw anyone look so annoying.

"High school students, huh. You are all high school students now and you still choose to waste your time bullying?" Glasses boy said the last word like he couldn't believe it still exists. He removed his headphones and let it sit on his neck. "Just a heads up, bullying doesn't make you look cool or superior. You all look dumb." He began to walk past them before he stopped again and looked back with a smirk, "Oh, and also. Please. Take a shower."

He started walking away, unbothered. One of the bullies was fuming with anger and shouted back, "Damn you Tsukishima! I'm going to slap that smirk on your face someday!"

"Make sure you can reach my face first before threatening me like that." He singsong-ed before he completely disappeared from their sight.

"Ugh." The now frustrated boys glared at Yamaguchi saying, "You just got lucky." before walking away.

Kageyama, still frozen, looked at them with a blank look on his face. He thought 'Tsukishima' was someone he doesn't want to be friends with, considering his harsh and judging words. (Kageyama also thought it's ironic how he defended Yamaguchi from bullying but he, too, was throwing judging words—maybe because they deserve it, or maybe he was just a salty person.)

He snapped from his thoughts and helped Yamaguchi from standing up. "Are you okay?"

Suprisingly, Yamaguchi looked happy. "Yeah.." He looked away before smiling slightly. "Tsukki always helped me get away from those bullies. Always. I don't know how.. but he has his ways on protecting me, and somehow.. somehow I feel like I'm not alone."

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, "Tsukki?"

Yamaguchi blushed and started waving his hands defensively, "I.. I-It's just a n-nickname.. I thought.. of.."

He thought it was dumb. But he didn't mutter a word and he was absolutely not going to shatter his friend's heart.

* * *

Kageyama didn't sign up for this.

It was his first day as a high school student and he already had multiple people talking to him. And most importantly, he did get a damn love confession, 'because he looked cool and handsome' someone actually asked him out. He, of course, said no.

Maybe the communication was a good thing? Or maybe it just made him feel even more nervous for the upcoming days. But one thing for sure; he doesn't want it. One friend was enough for him.

He was also glad that he and Yamaguchi are in the same class—turns out Tsukishima was also a first year, because he was his classmate—and honestly, he was just glad he can talk to someone now without feeling nervous, because he was already comfortable talking to his friend.

"Bye, Kageyama! See you tomorrow!" His friend stated before cheerfully waving his hand and running away at the same time. They were supposed to go home together but Kageyama had plans.

Yamaguchi looks really cheerful. He doesn't look like someone who gets bullied for his freckles and sexuality. Kageyama also learned that his friend was bisexual, but he didn't really mind, and his thoughts about Yamaguchi didn't change after him coming out.

And so, the pianist began roaming around the campus, trying to find the music room. In no way in hell that he would enroll in a school without a music room, it was like its life source, at least for him.

After 12 minutes of walking, he finally found a room with a small sign attached at the top of the door. "Music Room". He smiled at himself before finally opening the door. 

There it was, standing gracefully. A huge black piano sitting at the center of the room. Surrounded by multiple guitars, a drum set, a shelf filled with saxophones and flutes, and many more musical instruments Kageyama couldn't name. In front of the piano was a huge window, he can see the sun slowly setting. The pianist closed the door and began walking towards the piano, letting his fingers trace its structure.

Kageyama sat down on the provided chair in front before putting his bag down. His hands moved on its own and began playing Married Life, the song he was listening to this morning.

A small smile appeared on his face as he happily played the song, making sure to hit every key within the right timing. All memories of his parents fighting disappeared and was replaced by the times they took care of him and showed what marriage is supposed to look like. 

Not long enough, he reached the sad part of the song. His smile turned into an emotional one.

The thing is, he was supposed to have a younger brother. However, his mother had a miscarriage at her 8th month of pregnancy because of health issues. Up to now, his parents still cry about it and get emotional when someone mentions "Is Tobio your only child?". Because no.. Tobio isn't the only child.. it was supposed to be like that.

Tobio was almost tearing up (Emphasize the word: almost); when he almost fell from the chair because of one orange-haired boy. The said boy popped up out of nowhere from behind the piano. The pianist almost jumped out of fright.

Too shocked to act normal, he started saying, "W-Where did you come from?!"

The smaller one with widened eyes—looking like he was also shocked by the presence of Kageyama—tilted his head sideways.

Kageyama composed himself and breathed heavily. "Didn't.. didn't you hear me come in? I.. I was even playing the piano. Why did you suddenly pop out like that? You.. scared me.." The last part was said with a small voice, too embarrassed to admit. One thing for sure, he thought he was already getting some alone time, but life was not on his direction and decided to throw more people for him to interact with.

The orange-haired boy remained silent and frozen.

By the time he calmed down, he decided to stare back at the boy who scared him. Why was I so scared? _Did I read too much Stephen King books?_

He started getting conscious by the stare the other one was giving him, not only that—he also thinks the orange-haired boy is cute. Maybe that's why he was fast to look away.

After a few minutes, the smaller one decided to move and write something on a notebook..? Sketch pad..? (Kageyama didn't even noticed he was holding something) and shyly showed the pianist what he wrote. With this, the black-haired boy stared at the paper longer than he noticed.

"I'm deaf and mute, sorry for scaring you."

Kageyama already experienced a lot today, yet he still didn't expect something like this would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! it's my first time writing anything haikyuu related so please bare with me ( ˘ ³˘)♥ also i'm sorry this chapter was boring lmao it gets better
> 
> i will try my best to post a new chapter as soon as possible oomph BYE!!
> 
> also this fic will also be posted on my wattpad: @heyhoshi :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama learned beauty can be found outside of music through a certain orange-haired boy.

Stars are considered symbols of hope and other positive things. They are magnificent—their natural sparkle can last for billions of years before dying, and even after losing their lives, they can still shine for another billion years before completely being useless. Stars are what people first see when staring into the dark night sky, and they are beautiful. Tobio liked beautiful things. That's why he liked doodling them on every free space that he could find on his personal notebook. 

He kept this notebook for a long time now, starting middle school. It was full of notes—piano notes, specifically—and all of his feelings that he can't say to anyone. It was like a diary, but not really since it was also full of messy to-do-lists and unfinished research paper drafts. Yet, his notebook was always kept clean and tidy.

Clean and tidy, this summed up pretty much the entirety of Tobio's existence. In fact, he was still busy arranging his old books by color at 11 PM when what he really needed was sleep and a constant reminder not to think about the happenings that occurred that day, because it even made him more anxious.

Saying that he can't sleep was an understatement. He already finished listening to his "Piano Music To Listen To/For Sleep" playlist that lasted for 48 minutes, drank two bottles of cold milk, and brushed his teeth twice. He even considered Yamaguchi's lame reply to him when he texted (It also took Kageyama at least 10 minutes before convincing himself that texting wasn't bad and that's what friends do) that he should count up to 100 sheep.

Tobio sat down, enervated from carrying books, when his mom knocked thrice and entered his room. "Why are you still awake?"

"Just.. uh.. having several night thoughts?" His mom sat down beside him, completely aware that her son just managed to clean his room again for the third time this week-it was also only Monday, by the way. "How was school?"

 _How do I even begin,_ Kageyama thought.

"It was overwhelming, to sum it up. I made a friend, got a love confession, encountered bullying—I wasn't.. the one.. who got uh.. bullied—, almost slept at class, and.. met a deaf and mute boy while playing piano."

His mom stared at him before saying an exaggerated, "Wow. Your school is.. something?"

"It certainly is.. something."

"Do you like it there?"

"If you remove the unnecessary drama and crappy air headed boys, then yes." Tobio almost said 'shitty' in front of his mom, thank God his tongue had the reflex to change it into 'crappy' or else he might've got an ass whooping (by ass whooping, I mean a 30 minute scolding session) before bed.

His mom let out a breathy laugh and ruffled his black hair. "You'll do great like you always did, don't worry. Go to sleep now, okay?" Tobio pouted a little before nodding. After a while, he prepared himself for bed when he heard his mom said, "No goodnight kiss?"

The pianist groaned in slight annoyance and turned his head. "Mom, I'm 16." He said it like it was a reminder, but his mother wasn't fazed. "Tobio, I'm your mom."

Kageyama just did what he was told because he was afraid he might get his ass whooped for real.

* * *

"Why piano?"

It was time for lunch. As usual, Tobio had his own homemade lunch box made by his mother herself. Both boys, Yamaguchi included, decided that seating at _probably_ the loneliest corner of their cafeteria was the best decision they'll ever gonna make, it reduced the chance of getting noticed, and of course, it let them enter their own world, shutting the harsh noise of reality.

The black-haired pianist paused. "I don't know. When I was a kid, my mom used to listen to shit tons of piano music to calm me down. I kinda grew up listening to it, so why not just play that music myself."

Yamaguchi let his pencil drop on the table and cracked his fingers, eyeing his new artwork. He released a sigh, teared the paper and crumpled it. "What do you mean calm you down?"

"Because I never liked people. I was already grateful to have my parents, but I always preferred to be on my own. So whenever we had gatherings, I got scared a lot and cried for hours."

Yamaguchi nodded, his eyes still focused on the piece of paper in front of him. 

"What are you doing?", said Kageyama.

"Art."

"I know, but why aren't you eating?"

"Art is more important. Earth without art is just _eh_."

"I think I saw that quote one time on Tumblr." It was Kageyama's time to laugh. Yamaguchi pouted. "I-It's true! Let me live!"

The pouting boy released a heavy sigh. "Still, I wish I had the courage to join this school's special art class. Did you know they have special classes? Like art class was solely dedicated for artists, imagine an hour or two of painting! I want that! It's.. like a club but more because you can attend it everyday!" He groaned. Kageyama almost forgot that his new friend was not as quiet as he looked like.

"Special classes..? How do you join those?"

"You just show up when they're recruiting students. You should've joined music class, Tsukki's in there!"

"That long bastard plays an instrument?" Kageyama received multiple whines and quiet murmurs from his friend, saying he wasn't a bastard and that he was an _angel._ (But yes. He was long. Yamaguchi couldn't deny, but Kageyama could've used tall instead of long to describe him.)

"He plays the guitar." Yamaguchi said proudly, as if he was close friends with Tsukishima or he was just showing off how attractive his _crush_ was.

"So what if he plays the guitar? _I_ play the piano."

"No, you don't understand, _Kags_! Everytime he plays the guitar, he looks.. looks.. amazing!"

Kageyama thought his friend needed a class on how to properly give a nice nickname, but he just let out a chuckle. At least he tried his best. "What's amazing is your knowledge about nice nicknames." He stated, obviously full of sarcasm.

"What's wrong with Kags! You can call me Yams in return!"

"Hell no."

_"Lame."_

Now, something was definitely wrong.

Kageyama wondered if that was a bad attempt at copying Tsukishima, either way, he didn't wish to sit down in front of Yamaguchi's bullies again. He had enough of this. He thought about Yamaguchi dealing with this for the past years silently, he wanted to pat his friend's shoulder for enduring it all.

"Our little Yams has a crush on Tsukishima~ Should we tell him? I wonder what kind of disgusted face would he make this time!"

"Please don't." The freckled boy said silently, while Kageyama was in the middle of a debate against himself again. _Scream for help? Run away? Stand up for Yamaguchi? Panic? Look for Tsukishima? Pretend the bullies aren't there?_ It was like his mind was telling him to pick a choice or else a bomb would explode. 

He picked the most essential choice—look for Tsukishima. He was merely just his acquaintance, a _stranger_ even, but if what Yamaguchi said was true, he would be here. In no time. He would be here.

Would he?

The shit-eating grin this fuckboy had on his face pissed the heck out of Kageyama, made him anxious even more when they threw Yamaguchi's art notebook on the ground.

"Bet you draw anime boys~ or Tsukishima himself." One of them said like it was a bad thing as their laugh echoed in both boys' ears. Never in his life Kageyama thought he'd reach this level of annoyance.

Yamaguchi looked down on his art notebook and began shaking. He wanted to cry. He wanted it to end. He wanted to live a normal life as a bisexual, an artist with freckles, a student, and as a person. He wanted to be free.

A pair of soft hands covered his art notebook. The owner of those hands picked it up, and Yamaguchi followed it, and his eyes widened when they started flipping through his notebook.

"Is this yours?"

Beautiful. Everything about her is beautiful, Yamaguchi thought.

"Y-Yes."

 _"K-Kiyoko-"_ One of the bullies squeaked, in awe by her beauty. All of them were, including Kageyama himself.

"I'm not talking to you, Nakamura." She pushed her glasses up and gave a sweet smile to Yamaguchi. "These artworks are beautiful! Do you want to join our art class?"

The said artist's heart started pounding like crazy. "Yes! I-I would love to!" He exclaimed, the presence of his bullies completely ignored.

"Great! Then I'll see you later after classes, Yamaguchi." She flashed a smile, turning her head towards those four spawns of the devil himself. "If I see you bothering him once more, I won't hesitate to tell the principal. Got that?"

They all muttered a defeated, "Yes." before walking away, along with Yamaguchi's new beautiful savior. Then, it hit him.

Someone saved him from his bullies, and it wasn't Tsukishima.

* * *

"Good luck with art class." Kageyama waved at his friend, hoping he would give even the slightest encouragement. 

Yamaguchi was not as happy as he thought he would be. But, he did his signature grin, waved goodbye, and ran towards his class. Kageyama proceeded to his desired location—the Music Room—once again.

He had no clue if the Music Room was allowed to be used by anyone anytime. He stopped on his tracks and stared at the gigantic door in front of him. His mind produced all negative outcomes he could think of, the worst scenario was him getting expelled. The pianist's shoulder slumped down and released a sigh.

_Fuck it._

The door was soon opened by Kageyama, a creaking sound bounced on the room's 4 walls. The piano still stood gracefully, at least that was how he saw it, and different musical instruments still surrounded the piano. It was almost like the same view he witnessed when he first entered this room.

Almost.

What made that view different was the orange-haired boy he saw that day. With a pen on his hand, a notebook on the other, eyes focused on the sun outside of a gigantic window in front of the piano with same color as his hair. He was sketching the sun.

Kageyama stared at the boy and began walking towards him. He had no clue why did his legs started moving on its own, but he couldn't protest. As if a ghost just appeared, the smaller one made a tiny sound with his eyes widened.

"S-Sorry!" Kageyama wanted to punch himself. _The boy can't hear, idiot._

As if reading his mind, the deaf boy flipped through the pages of his notebook and wrote what seemed to be what he wanted to say.

_"You're the one who was playing the piano the other day, right?"_

The taller one nodded and awkwardly waved a hello. 

The boy in front of him smiled and _boy_ did he lost it.

"I'm Hinata! Hinata Shouyou! :D"

 _He even drew a smiley face. A fucking smiley face. With a smile on his own face._ Kageyama was feeling a lot of new things, and he was very confused.

He opened his bag and grabbed the first notebook he would be able to touch. It was his personal notebook.

He decided _fuck it_ and scribbled down on a blank page.

"Kageyama Tobio. :)" He blushed after showing it to the latter. He drew a smiley face, because Hinata did so.

Hinata just smiled. Kageyama was in the middle of arguing with himself after that. _Great, now he thinks you're weird. You should leave. Never communicate again._

He was about to leave when Hinata spoke through his notebook again.

"Aren't you going to play the piano?"

Kageyama's eyes focused on the piano in front of them. He shook his head. The smaller one tilted his head on the side. (Kageyama cussed. He SWORE his chest just did something.)

"Then why are you here?" Hinata wrote again, his head still tilted sideways.

 _I was really about to play the piano but I saw you and now I'm just curious about you._ Kageyama wanted to say that, but he didn't want to look like a total creep. So he changed the words a bit.

"I was about to.. but I saw you and decided to just talk to you."

Hinata _chuckled._ And Kageyama lost his mind, mainly because his laugh was so... cute, and also because he was thinking how can a mute person laugh.

"You're deaf and mute, right?"

"Yes. :)"

"But you just laughed.."

Hinata looked up at Kageyama and chuckled again.

"I'm mute because I was born deaf. So there's just no way I can learn verbal language. I'm not mute because of physical injuries so I can still make sounds, like laughing :P"

Kageyama stared at the notebook in front of him. "Oh." He said to himself while reading what Hinata wrote again.

Hinata read his lips and smiled once more. He looked at the sun and began sketching again, the taller one couldn't help but stare. It was a sketch, but it was better than any of the drawings Kageyama worked hard for. Albeit he was an artist for music, not _art_ , so it was understandable.

The pianist leaned by his back on the window and wrote once again. "Do you study here?"

Hinata read it rather slowly and went back to sketching again while shaking his head. He scribbled a small note on the next page and showed it to Kageyama.

"My mother works here so she needs to take me here everyday because no one will look after me. I chose here to stay all day because it's always empty and it has a nice view hehe"

 _Hehe._ God, Kageyama was going crazy by that little action he did.

Hinata then looked at his watch and pouted. He wrote one last time, "It's already 5:30. My mom's already waiting for me at the gate. See you next time, Kageyama~~ :)" He flashed a bright smile again before sprinting down the hall.

Kageyama whispered a cuss before looking at the sun.

Kageyama played the piano because it was the only thing that made him calm down. He believed beauty can be found through music.

Hinata decided to draw because he saw the world's beauty through his eyes. He believed despite not being able to speak and hear music, the world still had its own way on showing its captivating self, and that was through art.

Kageyama smiled.

What an odd yet interesting boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i'm terrible at updating i'm so sorry! i just didn't want to disappoint anyone and tried my best T_T
> 
> also did a HECKIN lot of research about deafness and muteness (because i didn't want to sound like an idiot) i changed the plot a lot, edited a lot, deleted paragraphs a lot because i was afraid it might turn out bad, and yes i was stressed i think i'm going bald


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama debated whether having a crush on someone who couldn't understand music was a bad thing or not. Also, calling someone cute could make you blush, apparently.

"I'm going out for a bit." Tobio waltzed down the stairs wearing a simple gray shirt and black pants. His mother just smiled at him while his father proceeded to drink his coffee, only muttering a word when their son finally left the house.

"Say, didn't he looked a little bit too happy?" His mother said, turning around to face her husband.

"What do you mean happy, he always look like he'll blow a fuse anytime." His father laughed in between his words while his wife looked at him with the 'did-you-just-insult-your-own-son' face.

"Yeah, but his eyes were sparkling with excitement."

It was a hot Sunday April morning, the sun did not have mercy and beamed the streets with its light, but that didn't stop Kageyama Tobio from causing a stir. 

He was basically bouncing while walking his way to a convenience store, because he was ready to try out the new milk flavor he saw on TV. _Yes, a new milk flavor was making him this excited._ Apparently, this brand new milk flavor was already available at his local convenience store, so he didn't waste any time and decided to try it out even if it's basically 9:30 in the morning.

"Good morning!" A worker inside greeted him when he entered the store. He bowed his head a little and tried not to look too excited when he basically saw a new batch of milk cartons inside the store's refrigerator.

Kageyama sighed. He scanned through the boxes of milk in front of him, trying to look for the new flavor. _Aha!_ He grabbed one banana flavored milk carton and smiled to himself. (He didn't forgot to grab the strawberry one because that was his favorite—oh, and he also bought himself some cookies.)

While the cashier was busy putting his products inside a bag, he was busy debating to himself whether he should eat _there_ because the convenience store practically had a seating area for customers to eat, or should he go back and eat in his room.

"Thank you! Please come again." He bowed his head and almost walked towards the door (Keyword: almost) when his eyes went wide upon seeing a familiar orange-haired boy sat down at the other side of the room.

He smiled, for the boy looked just like the sun outside—heck, maybe even _better_ than the sun. Kageyama agreed to himself that calling Hinata the sun was the greatest thing he had ever done. It was true, was it not?

Like what happened in the music room just a few days ago, his legs dragged him towards the certain boy. Hinata didn't notice him, he was busy doodling something (again) while munching on a sandwich Kageyama believed he bought from this store. 

Kageyama stared for a few seconds. The smaller one was swaying his legs because he couldn't reach the floor. He didn't know if it's because the chair was too high or Hinata was just small, but looking at him, the pianist would admit he looked really, really, _really cute._

Hinata finally dragged his eyes up and saw Kageyama, who was still staring at him intently. His eyes _lit up_ and waved his hand at him, his lips gradually forming a bright smile. 

The black-haired boy waved back awkwardly and sat down in front of him. Hinata was still looking with a bright smile, and made Kageyama look away blushing.

"Are you okay? Your face is really red. Is it because it's hot? :(" Hinata showed what he wrote at the side of his sketchpad. He looked oddly similar to the sad face that he sketched beside that sentence, with his bottom lip puckered and all.

 _Don't look at me like that please, thank you._ The other one thought.

Kageyama's face got even redder—if that was possible. He took out his phone and started typing on a notepad application. "Yeah, it's pretty hot." _Lies._

The smaller one just nodded with a smile on his face, then continued to sketch, his legs still swaying.

"Y-You're so.. cute.." The pianist said with an absent-minded smile. He blushed again after realizing what he just said. He could practically hear his mom's voice in the back of his head, that she would be proud if there would be someone who could make him blush because _life is short and love is great, Tobio. Don't be afraid to give love._

He tried to distract himself by finally eating those cookies he bought. Hinata looked up, only to see Kageyama offering him one chocolate chip cookie with a slight blush on his face. 

Hinata smiled, he found it sweet—the action Kageyama did. He thankfully accepted and bowed his head as a sign of gratitude. 

The artist bit that piece of cookie, followed by a tiny gasp. He scrunched his nose when he smiled, giving Kageyama a thumbs up, indicating that the food was amazing.

Along with that smile was the sun who decided to shine its rays on Hinata's face. It was like God telling Kageyama, _That is one of my angels. You must protect him or you'll face consequences._

Yeah. Maybe calling him the sun wasn't bad. He thought anyone would call him that, for sure.

Hinata's phone vibrated in his pocket, signalling him that a new message had arrived. He looked at it and pouted, quickly writing to Kageyama that his mom was done shopping from the grocery and that she was on her way back to the convenience store. The pianist nodded, waved his farewells.

On second thought, it was actually too early for goodbyes, because Hinata decided to make Kageyama suffer more by recommending that they should exchange phone numbers.

Stupid Kageyama thought it was a bad idea but agreed anyways.

He gave his phone to the smaller boy for him to type his number, who gave it back with a smile, and ran away while waving with his sketchpad on his arm.

The black-haired boy looked at his phone and blushed again, for the hundredth time.

'Hinata Shouyou :]'

_Save me._

* * *

"—And like it was so cute! He sang uhm.. what's that called.. I Love You, Baby? I think that's what it's called.. anyway, yeah he sang that to the girl it was _sooooo cute_ , Kags—"

"It's called Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, idiot."

"Music nerd. And I have a name, for your information, it's Yamaguchi Tadashi."

The sun was setting before their eyes. It was quiet, although Yamaguchi was blabbering about a movie he watched the night before but that was beside the point, and they were walking along the sidewalk to Yamaguchi's favorite ramen shop. It was the first time they were going to hang out after school because the art class adviser didn't show up, so he invited Kageyama to eat.

It took quite some time for Kageyama to agree. (He said he hesitated because he wasn't hungry, but he actually just wanted to see if Hinata was in the music room. Yet of course, he wasn't going to admit that.)

"Ah! The smell of noodles. How wonderful." Yamaguchi stated after entering the said shop. Kageyama would agree, the smell was enough to make his stomach growl like he had not just ate a piece of bread on their way. "Come on, we gotta order."

Both boys sat down on probably the loneliest corner of the room _again_. Neither of them protested anyway.

After ordering, Yamaguchi continued to tell him details about that movie. Kageyama just listened, not really muttering anything, but the other was completely fine with that. The pianist was beyond happy to see his friend like this, smiling and not worrying about him getting caught by his bullies because those boys did not bother him again after Kiyoko made a warning.

Yamaguchi fell into silence. The other one looked up, confused why the noise suddenly stopped. "Kageyama, do you know why Tsukki doesn't talk to me anymore? I mean, why did he stop appearing? I don't see him anymore."

The black-haired boy pursed his lips. "Because they stopped bullying you. You said Tsukishima was always there to protect you from them. The disappearance of your bullies is probably the reason of his absence."

The latter looked up, whispering an "Oh." silently. From that moment, everything made sense to Yamaguchi, and suddenly he did not feel like eating anymore.

"Did I say something wrong? I—"

"No, it's okay." Yamaguchi chuckled. He changed the topic, saying he couldn't wait to munch on that ramen.

Kageyama just smiled, but not that long.

Not until he received a text from Hinata Shouyou.

"Shit." He cussed, fighting the urge to blush in front of his friend.

_"you didn't come here today (—3—)"_

"Why? Did something happen?" Yamaguchi asked, obviously full of concern. Kageyama just shook his head. "N-No, it's nothing."

It was _not_ nothing.

Kageyama typed back and made sure he didn't sound too excited over receiving a text from Hinata even though he texted him last night saying, _"hey this is kageyama haha you didn't got my number so i'm texting you"_. (He definitely wanted to swallow his phone after that. He didn't know why, but he wanted to anyways.)

"oh sorry my friend wanted to eat outside!!! i'm so sorry" He made sure he had no typos or anything, waited for a minute or two because he basically jumped at his phone when he realized Hinata texted him (Again, Kageyama wouldn't admit that.) before pressing send.

"You look like you need to take a poop."

_Fuck! I said sorry twice! You idiot!_

Kageyama looked up and sighed. "I'm just anxious. I don't want to take a shit."

"Use poop, Kags! You're so vulgar."

"Poop is already vulgar especially if you're talking about it inside a restaurant, idiot."

Only two weeks had passed but they were already calling each other names. Kageyama felt a fuzzy feeling inside his chest. Happiness, maybe? He felt proud after thinking that he actually made a friend—no, two _friends._

But maybe Hinata was not just a friend, more of like a crush. (Yet again, Kageyama wouldn't admit that.)

_"it's fine! :D it's not like you're obligated to come here and talk to me hehe.. enjoy ur meal! (=∩_∩=)"_

Damn.

"What a cutie." Kageyama muttered to himself. Yamaguchi felt his ears turn big.

"Who? Who's a cutie?" He practically screamed. The pianist's eyes turned wide, quickly thinking of something, anything as an excuse. "W-What? Nothing—"

"Who is it! I always talk to you about Tsukki and you're here crushing over someone _and_ not telling me anything? I can't believe you're going to betray me like this." Yamaguchi sulked. Kageyama felt his irises rolling on their own. "I'm not crushing on someone. I just.. saw a picture on Twitter. Yeah. They were cute."

"I can see through your lies, dude."

"Don't call me dude. It doesn't suit you."

"You're still lying, bro."

"Stop."

The food arrived. Of course, Kageyama didn't forget to reply a simple, "thanks :)". They ate in silence, too focused on the delicious ramen they were served with. The sun flashed its light on Kageyama's face, he turned his look to have a good look with it.

The sun was setting again, indicating the end of another day. Kageyama smiled a little.

Kageyama really liked the night. He loved the moon, especially the stars. He loved the cold wind that passed through his hair when he was outside. He loved how the moon still stood out despite the billion stars surrounding it, how its light beamed between the almost invisible clouds. He loved the stars, all of the constellations he could name just by looking up. He loved spending the night playing the piano, how the music blend well with the silence the night time gave. He loved evenings.

So it was a sight for him to smile at the sun, then it hit him.

The moon shone because of the reflection of the sun. The stars (even though the sun itself was a star) weren't there at daytime because the sun was too bright. That was why the sun had always been the symbol of hope and happiness, because of its beaming light.

Maybe, just maybe, the sun wasn't that bad either.

He stared at the setting sun again. It was beginning to fall down and disappear through his vision. It was also different because it was orange.

_Oh._

"What are you doing? Cold ramen isn't delicious, bro." Yamaguchi snickered at the usage of the nickname.

"Nothing, nothing." He smiled and continued to eat.

He was now loving the sun even more, because it reminded him of one orange-haired boy.

* * *

"Hi dad." Kageyama greeted. His dad looked—scanned his own face, lowering his glasses and flashing a sly smirk.

"Let me guess.. you got a girlfriend?" 

Kageyama's mom blasted through from the kitchen after hearing the word. "You have a girlfriend? Oh my God, Tobio, no way—"

"What! N-No!" He was quick to protest, shaking his head for emphasis. "What made you think that.."

"That smile on your face, boy. You rarely smile. I even saw your eyes sparkle for a moment."

 _I was smiling?_ The now blushing boy thought. "I'm just excited to be home, dad."

"Sure you do, Tobio." The said man chuckled, pulling off a 'you-can't-fool-me-I'm-your-father' face.

"Way to put my hopes up, you jerk!" His mother said to her husband, rolled up her sleeves, and went back inside the kitchen like he just wasted her time.

"Your son's lying, darling! You better have a word with him tonight!"

"Whatever. Mom, I'm not eating dinner. I just ate ramen with Yamaguchi."

His mother just said okay, but she was still going to leave him dinner in case he would get hungry in the middle of the night. Tobio huffed and made his way to his room, his father still laughing. 

The now exhausted boy put down his bag and let his body fall on his bed. His eyes traveled down to his piano, located just beside the wall, facing a large window. He was now looking at the window.

The moon looked awfully huge. Bigger than it seemed to be. He made his way on the seat provided in front of his piano and let his hands glide down the keys.

Kageyama was a true artist for music, for he does not just play the piano, he also sang. He was too shy to show his singing to anyone, though. Just to himself and his phone because he _did_ record his singing sometimes.

Underneath the bright glow of the moon was Kageyama Tobio playing and singing Michael Bublé's, his favorite singer, L.O.V.E with the piano.

"L is for the way you look at me.." He grinned as the lyrics came out with ease, as if he was the one who wrote it. He followed the melody with his voice, the tune of his singing mixing together with the night breeze perfectly. 

Kageyama once had a dream of singing for the person he would love forever. The thought of playing the piano to catch that person's heart even easier sent chills down to his spine. It was romantic and liking romantic things is a guilty pleasure of him. He also liked the thought of singing together with his partner, like a duet, or he would play the piano and his partner would sing.

"..love was made for me and you." He finished, kind of feeling disgustingly sappy.

He would love to be with someone who likes music as much as him.

So why, out of all people, did he think of Hinata?

Kageyama's hands fell on his side, his eyes widening, staring at the huge bright moon above with a pinch of twinkling stars.

He slapped his cheeks. Hinata was born for art. Hinata liked drawing, gliding pen on paper was as easy as breathing to him. Hinata was also born deaf. Hinata couldn't hear music. So why, out of all people, did he think of Hinata?

Kageyama was born for music.

Maybe he was also born to have a crush on a boy who didn't know what music is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe this chapter's just an excuse for me to write singer!kageyama OOOF !!!! this took so long :[ im still stressed about trying to write Better hmm yes letting pressure eat my whole existence, my kink


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama thought crushes were stupid, but look at him now.

Kageyama didn't laugh often. The last time he laughed genuinely was when he was 9, over something incredibly stupid, when his dad tickled him to death. (He wouldn't tell anyone he was extremely ticklish at his neck.)

After that, he no longer knew the feeling of genuine outburst of happiness, enough to make someone laugh. He didn't know why, nor did he wanted to know why. He didn't want to admit that his life was lacking something incredibly important. It wasn't because he hated laughing, there was just nothing funny enough for him to consider as laughable. (He thought maybe because he didn't have any friends to laugh with.) So it made sense that he hated it when someone was laughing at him.

Eyes glaring, lips groaning, hands on a failed Math test paper, Tobio was not having a good day. He was with his supposed to be comforting friend, Yamaguchi, snickering at him during lunch time.

" _Dude,_ I am... so s-sorry..." The laughing boy continued. He couldn't finish his sentence without giggling between his words and Kageyama wished he never met Yamaguchi in that stupid train.

"Stop calling me dude, _dude_." He glared.

"N-Not fair! Why can you say it!"

"Only cool people can."

"Last time I checked, cool people _know_ how to divide."

Kageyama's mind screamed all curse words he could think of as he continued to glare at his friend who had been laughing for 15 minutes. "I just didn't know how to divide using the calculator—"

_"Guys, you won't believe what I saw inside the music room."_

The pianist stopped his words. Mouth shut, eyes focused on the source of the voice, ears perked. Yamaguchi looked at him in confusion, then followed his eyes. His heart started pounding when he saw his ex-bullies, _they're right beside our table.. they can attack me anytime.. anytime.._

"What? You saw a ghost?"

"No, _dude_. There was a fuckin' boy. A deaf and mute boy." The boy with striking red hair stated the last sentence with a hint of disgust. His friends started laughing and gushing words like, "Really?", "Deaf?", "I gotta check that out sometime.", "He can't talk? Poor thing."

"Was it a student? Nah, I doubt it. He can't study without hearing!"

"Don't think so. He was wearing casual clothes and drawing something.. why is he here anyway? He doesn't belong here."

The boys continued to laugh. "I said hello and all he did was gesture something to me when I stepped in front of him. Must be that _stupid sign language._ "

Kageyama's fists (and heart) clenched at the thought of Hinata getting bullied over something that wasn't his fault, over something he was born with. Someone who was always smiling might never smile again.

It was like saying the sun was setting and it would never shine again. He didn't want that.

So he had to do something.

"Kageyama..." The small voice of his friend made him break his staring session that had been happening for 5 minutes and look away. He raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm.. c-can we move tables? I'm not comfortable seeing them this close." Kageyama nodded and started packing his lunch back into its bag. He didn't had the appetite to finish his food after hearing those cruel words anyway.

"Why did you look so.. angry?"

The black-haired boy sighed. "They were your bullies, Yamaguchi. Of course I'd look at them with a scowling face, and they were uh.. making fun of someone." They sat down, somewhere far away from people, just how they liked it.

"Oh.. I hope they won't bully someone again." Yamaguchi flashed a sad smile, reminiscing the bad memories that were still fresh like his wounds on his heart caused by those bullies. "Yeah."

Kageyama closed his eyes and let his fists relax again.

"Yeah, I hope so."

* * *

Hinata smiled, brighter than usual, if that was possible. Kageyama's heart faltered. 

He couldn't let that smile fade. Not when he was the reason why Kageyama questioned his adoration for the night time. Not when that smile made his fingers spark with urge to touch Hinata's bright hair, along with his soft cheeks. He couldn't.

Not when the music room was more than just a room with a piano.

The boy in front of him took out his phone. A few seconds later, Kageyama's phone got a notification.

"why do you look sad !! no frowns allowed pls"

His eyes made its way to Hinata's. The smaller boy was still smiling. The pianist shook his head, returning the smile back. His hands began to type a reply to the other boy's text.

"do you really like it here? i mean don't you want to stay somewhere else?"

Kageyama sighed before pressing send. He was desperate to get him out of there, away from those bullies. Somewhere he wouldn't be found by those who would try to ruin that positive energy he emitted.

Hinata tilted his head while reading the text. He _frowned_ , and that was enough for the pianist's heart to drop down into his stomach. That was the first time he ever saw him frown and he didn't like it, not one bit.

"why? i like it here... this place is peaceful and i can see the sun from here. i can draw in peace. it gives me motivation :( and there's really no other place in this school that will make me feel that way"

Kageyama bit his bottom lip anxiously. He let out a heavy breath before sending an "i understand" reply. 

Hinata didn't have the time to ask why when his phone vibrated against his hand. He looked at it and pouted.

Kageyama wondered why out of all people, this innocent boy in front of him was the next target to suffer. He did nothing wrong. He just wanted to draw, in a quiet place like the music room. 

Why did they want to take that away?

His phone beeped, crashing through his thoughts full of anger and concern.

"mom said she wouldn't be done until 9 because she needs to check papers :(((( what am i supposed to do here until 9!!!!!"

Kageyama Tobio's fingers were faster than his mind. He should keep this in his head the next time he accidentally plan to _ask his crush out._

"do you want to stay at my place first?"

He didn't really know why he said that, but it felt right. It was a bad idea.

Tobio liked bad ideas, apparently.

Hinata made a gasping noise, a cute one. Suddenly, he was typing aggressively, and his phone was vibrating from time to time. He was talking with someone else. He stood up and showed his phone to Tobio with a grin so, _so_ bright.

"mom can i please PLEASE go to kageyama's house?? I PROMISE HE'S NOT A BAD GUY!!! pleaaaase? :<"

_"Kageyama? The one you said who play the piano?"_

The said boy was taking on a red tint. The fact that Hinata told his mom stories about him somehow made his chest feel a little bit warmer.

"yeahhh :D i would text you the address so u know where to go after u finish your work heheee PLEASE :]"

_"Okay, fine. Be careful. Be polite to his parents, or to anyone you see in his house. I'll pick you up at 9:30."_

Kageyama looked up, Hinata still wearing that dumb smile. (He loved it.)

The orange-haired boy grabbed his wrist, looking too excited, and pulled him up. He looked like a kid who just received candy. He was the first one to run towards the door, gesturing the other to walk faster. Kageyama just chuckled.

Hinata walked—bounced in front of him. Tobio kept his hands in his pockets and observed the back of the smaller boy's head while they walk on the silent hallway, heading to the exit of the school.

The sun provided warmth to the world, its heat became a source of life and because of it, the world was still alive, yet the world became selfish and took the sun's light for granted.

Hinata looked back at him. He made a soft chuckle sound, smiling with his eyes closed as he tried to walk backwards.

The world was so cruel.

* * *

Kageyama looked at his father with utter confusion. As soon as he stepped in, the older man started bombarding him with questions a father wasn't supposed to ask.

"You brought a boy! A small boy! That's your type? Small cute boys? My son's GROWN!"

Tobio wished Hinata wouldn't see his father as a fearsome entity.

"Dad. He's a friend, he's the deaf and mute friend I was talking about."

"So.. not a boyfriend?"

 _"Dad."_ The pianist was thankful, for once, that the cute boy they were talking about couldn't hear any of those words thrown without consent.

Hinata was hiding behind Tobio, his usual bright aura dimming when he stepped into the Kageyamas' household. _Was he scared?_ He stepped out and bowed aggressively. His father laughed and ruffled his hand into the locks of Hinata's hair, his other hand making its way onto Tobio's shoulder. "Tell him he should feel at home, okay? Have fun! I'm going to watch volleyball on television."

Tobio nodded, dragging Hinata upstairs to his room. Once they were inside, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Hinata began to smile again.

His eyes were gaping, trying to observe all the things Kageyama owns all at once, his mouth wide open with amusement.

The pianist sighed in contentment, smiled, and began typing again using his phone.

"welcome home."

He was still smiling, then it slowly faded away.

He didn't mean to send that.

Well, Kageyama Tobio, you wouldn't get all the things you want in life.

His body flushed regrets as he saw Hinata let out a short laugh while reading his text message. He quickly fished for his phone again.

"i meant welcome to my home!!!**"

Hinata looked at him shortly.

"it's okay, i do feel like i'm home"

Kageyama tilted his head, trying to show he didn't quite understand the text. The other one just shrugged before typing another message.

"maybe because you're here"

Tobio used all his energy not to show a grin. Especially when Hinata _blushed_. He had this sudden urge to hold those soft pink cheeks.

His phone beeped again. He wanted to take a picture of Hinata blushing when he saw his phone in his hand, but decided not to. (It would creep Hinata out, he thought.)

"can you play the piano like right now :>?"

 _Dang._ He never imagined emoticons would have this much power against his feelings.

"sure but why?"

"i'm going to draw you, if that's okay?"

_It was more than okay._

Kageyama nodded, hiding his blushing face. He sat down on the chair in front of his piano while Hinata sat down on his bed on the side, dropping his small bag down, and taking out his sketchpad with a big pencil case.

His fingers glided against the keys once again, producing the sound of "One Summer's Day" smoothly, like the pencil glided against the sketchpad of Hinata. The smaller boy's eyes were focused on nothing but Kageyama and his work. 

After the pianist finished, he looked back at Hinata, who was still sketching, his tongue slightly poked out. The latter looked up, only to meet Kageyama's eyes. He smiled ( _When did he not?_ ) and grabbed his phone.

"i'm almost done, it was just a sketch :> btw what's ur favorite color so i can use that as a background"

Kageyama faced his phone screen, then looked at the boy in front of him with a small smile after replying.

"orange."

Shouyou bit his bottom lip. With a grin he couldn't hide, he replied, "why orange? i'm really not a fan of orange, i think it's too bright"

"because it looks good on you"

The artist touched his hair and looked up. Kageyama was looking at him with mesmerized dark blue eyes, and his hand clenched on his pencil.

Nobody had ever told him that his orange hair looked good on him and he was happy that Kageyama was the first one.

* * *

"Thank you for taking care of my son, Kageyama. You're such a sweet boy." Hinata's mother smiled. She looked just like his son with orange hair and a bright smile. Her hair was just longer.

His mind stopped for a moment. He didn't know what to do so he just bowed and muttered a silent "You're welcome.". He just hoped Hinata's mother would understand his lack of courage to communicate.

"We'll be going now! Tell my thank you's to your parents too." She grinned. Shouyou quickly tapped his mother's arm and signed something to his mother.

 _Sign language._ Tobio watched them communicate with wide eyes. He wanted to learn it too, it seemed interesting. (Or maybe he just wanted to learn sign language to communicate with Shouyou better. Of course that was the reason.)

"Shouyou wants to give you something." The said boy showed a small smile, shyly handing Kageyama the artwork he was working with just a few hours earlier. The paper showed Tobio playing the piano, with a mix of dark and light orange as the background. A small "To: Kageyama ♡ Thank you for letting me stay at your house! From: Hinata :)" was written at the bottom.

He drew a heart next to his name.

Tobio smiled at both of them and expressed his gratitude. Not long enough, the two Hinata's were saying their goodbye's as they walk away.

He walked into their home grinning. His mother was the first one to notice.

"Hinata's such a sweetheart." She said, her eyes not focused on the television but to her son. Her husband agreed.

"I- Uhm.. yeah. I know." Tobio hid his smile. His mother mirrored the expression. "Is he a friend?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Just a friend?" 

His father was now the one grinning. "I said that earlier! No way he's just a friend. You look at him the same way I look at your mother." He laughed, his wife slapping the back of his arm.

Tobio sighed, sitting down beside them. "I don't know. I never had a crush, so I'm really confused."

Both of his parents made a sound. "So it's a crush."

"Y-Yeah? Kind of? I think?"

"So, you're gay?"

The younger male widened his eyes, taken aback. "I.. I never thought.. about it. I—"

"It's okay. You have lots of time to think about it." His father patted his back. He released a deep breath.

"Yes, honey. Take your time. You're in a stage where you're still questioning, but keep in mind that we'll support you no matter what, okay?" His mother held his hands, slightly squeezing them.

Tobio never felt so happy and relieved to have such supportive parents.

"T-Thank you.. uhm.. I'm going to sleep. Have a good night." He stood up, smiling. His parents returned the gesture, then he sprinted to his room.

His chest felt warm because of two reasons. First, his supportive parents. Second, Hinata Shouyou.

Hinata _freaking_ Shouyou. He looked at the piece of paper that was on his hand again. 

_He's so talented. He's such a great artist. He's also so cute. Those damn eyes. That adorable nose. Those lips. Holy fuck._ Kageyama couldn't stop smiling, and anytime his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

At first, he thought Yamaguchi's little crush on Tsukishima was stupid—he thought crushes were stupid. It was a waste of time, pining over someone who would never acknowledge your presence and getting all giddy once you saw them doing nothing special. He couldn't just imagine himself getting a crush. He thought it was impossible, considering he would gladly choose to be by himself than to be immersed in a group of people. _But here we are now. Mind-blowing, isn't it. I'm so stupid._

Just the thought of it made him choke out a sound of happiness. He shook his head while smiling, eyeing the artwork again, and the little heart Hinata drew beside his name. It was stupid, and he never giggled if it wasn't over something dumb.

Kageyama laughed the first time since he was 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was too cheesy. i'm sorry.
> 
> thank you to everyone supporting this! all of your comments makes me smile and it keeps me going :]


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things only happen to good people, an observation by Kageyama Tobio.

Hinata never said (or signed) 'I love you' to anyone. Not even his mom, nor his sister. Instead, he showed that he cared for them, and he thought it was better than saying the phrase itself. Every day, it was different. There were times that he would tell his mom that he liked her new earrings, or he would help her do the chores, and sometimes he would help his sister finish her coloring book, or stroke her hair until she falls asleep.

His mom knew this. Her son wasn't the soft-hearted type, or maybe because of the fact that he couldn't speak, so he just showed his affection through actions and not words. 

Shouyou just finished washing the dishes, while his sister, Natsu, was watching television. His mother smiled, tapping her right hand to her left wrist and bringing it upwards, a sign of saying thank you. The boy just grinned and continued sketching, his legs swaying back and forth.

She sighed and sat in front of her son. "Are you okay being alone inside that music room?" She signed. Shouyou pouted, "Sometimes Kageyama visits me, so it's fine."

She raised an eyebrow, her son chuckling. 

"He's not there all the time, but thanks to him, I don't feel lonely even when I'm alone." The boy signed back.

"Oh." She said quietly. "I'm glad you gained a friend." His mother signed with a fond smile. Her face screamed pity, a hint of sadness, but it was mostly happiness. Shouyou frowned a little.

"Is it that shocking that I gained a friend?"

His mom widened her eyes and started shaking her head. "Of course not."

Shouyou showed a small smile. "I know I lack something, but it can't stop me from living as a normal person. It's just a disability." It took him quite some time to sign that to his mother, especially when he could see her getting more and more emotional as he produced his words with his hands.

The sound of the television Natsu was watching echoed throughout the room, along with Shouyou's mother's sobs.

"I'm so proud of you."

Her son held her hand, slightly squeezing it. "Please don't cry."

She just chuckled, wiping her own tears, and smiled after.

It was then Hinata Shouyou said 'I love you' again without saying those words.

"I like your smile, mom. Don't let it fade."

* * *

"Crush? Like Rihanna crush or Tsukki crush?"

"You have a crush on Rihanna?"

"Who doesn't?"

"What does that even mean?"

It was a Sunday. Suprisingly, Kageyama found Yamaguchi inside a bookstore and both boys decided to hang out together in a burger shop.

The pianist thought it was the perfect time to tell about his not-so-suprising crush.

"Stupid! Is it a celebrity crush or a _real life and it's probably going to hurt me_ crush?"

The black-haired boy frowned, sipping on a milkshake he just bought with eyebrows furrowed. "The latter."

Yamaguchi gasped loudly. "WHO?" He shouted, grabbing the other boy's arm desperately.

"I don't think you know him."

"HIM?" He shouted again, his face turned from curious to shocked, and there were something sparkling in his eyes, like someone just gifted him a new set of colored pens. "Y-YOU'RE.. GAY?"

Kageyama shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't want to label myself yet." He pondered, muttering a "Stop shouting." after.

Yamaguchi began rambling about how nice it was, how happy he was for him, and how _Not being straight is actually cool, Kags, welcome to the club!_

Tobio smiled, but his mind was thinking about Hinata. _Does he like burgers? Can I take him here? Like a date? A date.. that sounds nice.. but what if he rejects me? How can I handle rejection? This is harder than I thought._

His artist friend began laughing, causing him to look up and glare. "You haven't confessed yet and you're planning to take him out on a date?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Do you realize you're saying that out loud?"

His glaring face began to show a tint of red. "Have you confessed to your Tsukki yet? No, right?" He scowled.

"Sh-Shut up! I'm planning to!"

"Wait, really? Aren't you scared of getting rejected?"

Yamaguchi sighed, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, pulling his most serious face. " _Kags,_ you can't finish the book if you keep on rereading the same chapter because you're scared what will happen next."

He played with the straw of his milkshake, twirling it again and again. "I'm just afraid it'll get awkward after he rejects me."

"Just ask him to hang out first, then. If he rejects you, then just accept your fate. That's life." He shrugged, biting into his fries that he ordered. "Ew, it's soggy! I want it crunchy!"

He stared at the white ceiling, pictures of Hinata suddenly showing up. He smiled absent-mindedly.

Maybe life was more than just music.

* * *

"Tsukki asked me out."

"You've said that 7 times already." 

Kageyama was happy, _yes_ , but his friend who suddenly lost his vocabulary had been saying the same phrase non-stop since class was dismissed. He wanted to shove the drink he was holding for the artist to stop.

"At least congratulate me!" The said friend pouted, smiling again after just a second of whining. "I did earlier, stupid."

Ah, there he was.

Tsukishima Kei stood out in the sea of high schoolers who were too happy to leave their classes with headphones sat around his neck, his blonde locks, and those glasses Yamaguchi was secretly fawning over. He was gorgeous. (And long, Kageyama thought.)

"T-Tsukki!" He practically shouted his name. The blonde looked up, adjusting his glasses. 

It was adorable, how Kageyama whispered "Have fun on your date." and Yamaguchi whispering a "Shut up!" back. He bid his farewells to the pianist and the duo started walking and talking shyly together.

Tobio turned into the other direction. Was there a day he won't visit the Music Room? Music was his life anyway, and the piano there was huge, just perfect for his liking. (Totally _not_ because of Hinata.)

Breeze of wind covered his face. It was cold, and he didn't like it, because cold weather meant hot drinks, soup, and everything Kageyama didn't like. He shivered, bringing his eyes to close for a moment. His lips started to move on its own, and he was singing Put Your Head On My Shoulder by Paul Anka before he knew it.

The soft singing of the pianist was ruined by a bunch of laughter coming from a group of students in front of the Music Room. He was still far away, but the loudness of those giggles were clear. Suddenly, his mind stopped functioning, like a car engine running out of gasoline unexpectedly. He could only think of one reason _how_ and _why_ there was a group of laughing maniacs in front the room, and he didn't like it, similar to how he didn't like hot drinks due to the cold weather.

The swarm of students started walking away from the room, closer to Tobio. _Closer... closer.._ His fists tightened on their own.

"He deserves that." One of them said, before they all laugh again and walk away until they were gone from his sight.

_No, he doesn't._

He ran, fast, towards to the Music Room—to Hinata. The pianist's heart was beating like crazy from nervousness and anger, but his mind was blank. He didn't know what to expect.

But it surely wasn't this.

Torn papers, a broken pencil, a burned sketchbook. All of them were scattered on the floor like dirt. They were all damaged, and _oh_ how Kageyama's heart crushed when he saw Hinata sobbing, looking more damaged than his destroyed precious belongings.

"Hinata.." He let out. The said boy continued crying, covering his face. His sobs were different, but it was enough for Tobio to rush over to him. He touched his shoulder, the orange-haired boy looked up, and they were red. His eyes, nose, face—everything. He was hiccuping too much.

Before Kageyama could do anything, the smaller boy hugged him tightly. He was also shaking, probably from fear, then he cried on the taller one's chest. The black-haired boy let his hand run on those orange strands of hair, stroking them, and the other one on his back.

He was so.. small and fragile, yet he looked like he carried galaxies on his shoulders. Kageyama was beyond frustrated. _He doesn't deserve that. He doesn't deserve any of that._

Hinata finally looked up, eyes puffy, a bit calmer. Tobio's uniform became tear-stained but he didn't care, not at all. The smaller one blinked, flashed a small smile, and rested his head on the pianist's chest again and tightened the hug even more. 

He was 100% sure Hinata was feeling the loud vibration of his heartbeat. 

It was just 5:00 PM but Kageyama could fall asleep right there, with Hinata in his arms, with the comforting silence the room emitted, and the natural light of the sun blinding through the window.

The smaller one was the first one to pull away and looked down. He was fiddling with his fingertips, perhaps a hobby every time he was nervous.

Kageyama held those hands. He didn't know where did he got his confidence, but he felt the need to hold them. He gently squeezed them, reminding the other one that he was there. Not the bullies, not anyone that he could fear. 

They were soft— _heck_ , everything about Hinata was soft. His face, gentle-looking and a true reflection of an angel sent from heaven. His hands, despite his everyday routine of working them around a pencil, they were not calloused, they were very delicate. His heart, too.. too kind. His hair. His cheeks.

His lips.

Kageyama's thoughts were stopped when Hinata squeezed his hands back, his face showing a soft hue of pink. The taller one smiled a little and took out his phone. (Also cussed at himself for forgetting to learn sign language again. He promised to do it that night.)

"what time will you go home?"

He tried to hide the disappointment in his face when Hinata's hands left his own to grab his phone. After a short while, he replied, "9 again. mom got extra work."

There were no smiley faces. The sentences were short, and he used periods. Kageyama's grip on his phone tightened.

He looked at the orange-haired boy again. His eyes were still red, his cheeks had dry tears. He was tilting his head sidewards, as if he was asking _"Why?"_.

Tobio sighed, typing once again.

"Let's go out."

* * *

As soon as they stepped inside the Arts and Crafts store, Hinata knew what they were going to do, and just when he was about to protest, Kageyama responded by holding his hand tightly.

He dragged him towards the section where the sketchpads were stacked. Hinata was hiding a blush while Kageyama was finding something similar to the other one's past sketchbook. 

The taller one showed a similar sketchpad to Hinata with a smile. Bashfully, the artist sent a text message.

"kageyama... i actually don't have money. so i was trying to protest earlier because i can't buy anything."

The pianist blinked.

"who said you were the one going to pay?"

Hinata's eyes turned wide, then he shook his head again and again. The other one laughed.

"it's fine. let me pay :)"

"NO"

"why not?"

"because it's YOUR money! >:("

Kageyama smiled a little when Hinata used an emoticon. _Slowly.. maybe he will forget what happened, and remember this instead._

"right. it's my money, so i can spend it anytime i want. and i can pay for your new sketchpad :) and pencil, eraser... do you need new coloring pens?"

"NO THAT'S TOO MCUH KAGEYAM A"

The said boy laughed, reading the text over and over again. He never laughed unless if it was about something stupid, or if it was because of Hinata. 

The smaller boy grabbed the sketchpad, pointed at it, and texted, "this is fine >:( i'm just going to pay for it next time"

"you don't have to"

"i will :]"

Tobio sighed. He grabbed his hand again, feeling a bit braver. He looked for a pencil and an eraser, then paid for them anyways.

After that, they were headed to the convenience store. (Hinata, again, protested, when Kageyama insisted to pay for his food.)

"i'm fine by watching u eat >:("

"nooo you're going to eat with me"

"but you already bought me lot of things..... I'LL PAY YOU BACK I PROMISE"

"you don't have to"

Kageyama looked at him with a smile on his face. Hinata found himself staring, completely in awe, while hugging the bag where his new art supplies hid. He smiled fondly.

"i like your smile. don't let it fade."

* * *

"Thank you for bringing him home safely, Kageyama." Shouyou's mother spoke in a gentle manner. Tobio decided to just bring Shouyou home instead of waiting for the mother to pick him up to avoid being a bother.

"Y-You're welcome, Mrs. Hinata." He bowed, then he heard her speak again.

"What is this?" Mrs. Hinata asked, pointing at the bag Shouyou was holding. The orange-haired boy widened his eyes.

_Right. She doesn't know about the bullies. She doesn't know what happened._

Shouyou quickly signed, "Just a gift from Kageyama." His mother smiled and signed an, "Okay."

"Mom, can you give us a moment? I'll go inside soon."

His mother nodded, waving goodbye to Kageyama, who just waved back because he didn't understand the exchange the mother and son just had.

His phone rang right after the door closed, signalling a text.

"please don't let her know what happened. knowing her, she'll probably never let me in that room again, or let me stay in the house forever"

The pianist clenched his jaw. He knew he had to do something, but how? He lacked courage to speak to strangers. He couldn't let Hinata stay in that room after what happened.

"you're still going to stay in the music room?"

With a sad face, Hinata nodded. The atmosphere had become gloomy and heavy. The cold night breeze hit Kageyama again, and as if on cue, an idea came to his mind.

"okay. i'll keep you safe. i know who i can ask to make sure of that."

The artist smiled, the darkness definitely not covering the blush on his cheeks. He closed his eyes and smiled even more.

Tobio's heart clenched.

_Too much. Too much._

"i'm still going to pay for this though!!!"

He looked up, the smaller one was holding the bag up. 

"Fine. You can pay for it by coming with me on next week saturday night"

_Holy shit._

He couldn't believe he just said (or in that case—texted) that. His heart was pounding, breaking into pieces as seconds pass by. It was too much nervousness to handle. He was basically asking him on a date. _His crush. On a date._

Hinata furrowed his eyebrows. "ehhh? where are we going?"

He let out a heavy breath. 

"A concert by a rock band called RADWIMPS"

He thought of this thoroughly. He watched several live performance by this band and they were outstanding. He was a classical musician, born to play the piano, to listen to Mozart, Vivaldi, or Tchaikovsky before going to sleep, but he also enjoy the art of electric guitars and drums.

"kageyama. you know i'm deaf."

He stared at his phone screen for seconds then looked at Hinata, he was looking at him with an even more sad face. 

"I know."

He heard Shouyou sigh. "you know i can't hear."

"I know."

"how can i enjoy a concert? i can't hear music. i'm deaf. i'm not like you."

Tobio dropped his hands on his side. 

Hinata looked down. The atmosphere had gotten heavier. He wanted to go inside, he didn't want for Kageyama to see him this weak. What happened that day was enough.

"I'm also not like you. I don't understand art, but I appreciated your drawing, didn't I?"

The orange-haired boy stared at his phone again. Soon, drops of tears covered the screen as he read the other's previous text, and he was sobbing.

_I'm so weak._

His head fell on Kageyama's chest again. _Weak... weak... you can't do anything but cry._

Tobio wrapped his arms around the small figure of Shouyou, cradling him protectively. He then typed something on his phone again.

"I'm going to be there. You're not going to be alone. I'm going to make you enjoy it even without hearing them perform. I'll be your ears, Hinata."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i...... sorry I'M NOT IN MY BEST FORM I KNOW THIS ISN'T THE BEST THING I'VE WRITTEN SORRY TO DISAPPOINT :[ also wow this took like 20 days (because i'm going back to school ew)


End file.
